Peters



feitiird graue @anni @Wmv referring to the accompan Letters Patent No.95,333, dated September 28, 1.869.

IMPROVEMENT IN FEATHERING- PADDLE-WHEELS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of thesame.

To all whom it may concer-n: l

Beit known that I, PRIMUS EMERSON, of Garondelet, in the county of St.Louis, and State of Missouri, have made certain new and usefulImprovements in Feathering Paddle-Wheels; and I do -hereby declare thefollowing to be a full and true description thereof, ying drawings, andto the letters of reference marked thereon.

This invention. relates to wheels, with paddles arranged movably in suchwise that said paddles shall remain, during their motion, in a vertical,or very nearly vertical position, to prevent the same from lifting upbodies of water or from striking the water 4without acting fully andfairly to propel or otherwise give a useful effect.

The nature of this invention is, first, in the manner of feather-ing thepaddles and of vsupporting theA same, to allow for the movement requiredfor feathering, and

' secondly, in the manner of relieving the eccentric ring,

which herein acts to cause the feathering of the paddles, of friction toa great extent.

To enable those herein skilled to make and use my said improvedpaddle-wheel, I will now more fully dcscribe the same, referring to theaccompanying Figure 1 as a side view; to

Figure 2 as a plan; and to Figure 3 as a sectional view, showing themanner of supporting the paddles in the wheel-rim.

-I support` the wheel in the usual manner by its axle A, in properbearings, a, upon the usual frame.

Connected firmly to the axle, by suitable spider castings or othermeans, I arrange the wheel-arms. B, which support the wheel-rims C, theparts being secured by bolts or rivets in any manner desirable, andbeing formed of iron or wood. v

In the rims C, (of which there maybe two or more,) I arrange the paddlesD, made of iron or wood.

Saidpaddles are arranged between the sernicircular segments E, usuallymade of cast-iron, and the paddles are'secured, by proper bolts passingthrough the central diametrical flanges of the segments E.

'lhese segments form a narrow cylinder, which turns freely in thewheel-rim C, being guided laterally by flanges or side-plates c, whichare secured to the wheel-rims.

To said segments, I connect the journals e, all of which are, at theirouter ends, connected with the eccentric ring F.

This ring has a series of radial arms, f, connecting with the inner ringF.

The parts F, j, and F are thus joined to forma united body. i l

In order to support the body thus formed, and allow the same to rotate,I arrange, eccentrically, to the shaft A the centre bearing G, supportedby proper bracebars, g, to the wheel-frame.

'Said bearing has the rollers leon its outer circumference, and, toproperly support the journals of said rollers, said bearing will usuallyliavecircular flanges,

H, generally as indicated in fig. 1.'

The flanges H mayrevolve with the rollers h about the centre of thebearing-piece G, or the rollersh may simply rotate about their ownjournals, which will then be firmly secured to the hearing aforesaid.

In the revolution of the wheel thus formed the rims O, and the paddlestherein, revolve aboutthe axis of the shaft C, and as the ring Frevolves about lachieved whether the journals e are at the upper edgesof the segments E or at the lower edges thereof.,

vDuring this feathering-movement of the paddles, the

segments E turn in their housings, in the wheel-rims C, but are alwaysfirmly guided and supported ou all points of the circumference, thusresisting eiectually strains and contusion, whether arising from thecurrents of water or from duit-wood, ice, or` other obstructions. V

By attaching the journals e at the upper edges of the segments E, it isapparent that the featheringmovement of the paddles is in thedirectionof the water-pressure, as produced by the current madeby thewheel, and the feathering-movement thus requires little power ofmachinery for its accomplishment; but by thearrangement of the rollercentre at G H h, the

power required inactuating the eccentric ring F is reduced to a minimum,especially as nearly all'friction is located centrally. p

` The paddles D may extend beyond the wheel-rims C, outside thereof somedistance, the support, as given by the devices here described, to saidpaddles being sufcient to allow for such extension with proper safety.The arrangement and construction of feathering paddle-wheel thusdescribed, recommends itself by its simplicity of form, avoiding the useof projecting-cranks for feathering, and generally having its detailfeatures well protected against breakage by the usual obstructions, suchas snags, drift-wood, and ice, attendant upon ordinary navigati-on.

Having thus fully described myinventiom.

' What I claim, is-

1. The circular segments E, arranged to supportthe paddles D, and toallow the feathering thereof in' the wheel-rimsC, substantially as setforth,

2. The segments E, their journals e, andthe eccentric F f F, whencombined with rollers h, substantially-as set forth'.

lVitnesses: PRIMUS EMERSON.

GEORGE l?, HERTHEL, J r.,

WILLIAM W. HERTHEL.

the bearing'G and

